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One of the most disturbing Hurricane Katrina dramas unfolded at the Superdome. You’ve heard rumors and reports ranging from lack of food and water, to rampant mayhem and gang rapes, and it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction.

LSU student William “Billy” Robertson (right) is doing his part to set the record straight in an essay that’s two years in the making.

The 24-year-old Gonzales native is a medic with the Louisiana National Guard. He spent five grueling days in the dark, dank, unsanitary and dangerous confines of the Dome, part of the ill-equipped, ill-prepared storm response. Robertson and his colleagues

(below right) were quickly overwhelmed as the streets flooded around them, and tens of thousands of desperate New Orleanians who rode out the storm descended on the Superdome.

“The water rose so fast I don’t remember exactly when it hit or from what direction it came,” he recalls. “It was as if water just started gushing out of the ground.”

Robertson, an English major, kept a detailed journal during those dark days. He’s working on a compelling account of treating the sick, averting chaos and simply coping with such a large-scale disaster.

Robertson continues to revise the 11,000-word essay. Click here to read excerpts.